1080p is overkill for regular tv content. If you dont watch HD content then it's a waste of money.

In India HD for 1080p is going to take time. To add to that I think the majority of people will buy for regular tv or once in a while DVD.

HD wont be used much.

Yes for regular TV as of today, but nothing prevents the guys in the DTH space to offer differentiation (with H.264 technology for HD content with current MPEG-2 bitrates) over time as the competition heats up.. You typically buy a TV once in a decade and i bet you that we will have it before that! The new dual format HD-DVD/BluRays are started to hit the market.. People thought that India is a VCD market, but see what Moser Baer has done to the India market with their prices of DVDs. Wont be long for them to start producing HD content. Besides the availability of consumer grade HD Cams from Sony etc. will make people want to shoot in HD.. The speed of adoption of technology is increasing year on year.. The time for it to hit mainstream is currently at an average of 4-5 years max and decreasing year on year..

it was once in a decade. The newer TVs do not last for more than 5 years, even if they do

Very true... the older bpl lasted so long(12 years??) that we got bored of it and gave it away... the new one lasted just about 5 years and have started giving lots of problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rangaraj

but nothing prevents the guys in the DTH space to offer differentiation

One thing will... who will produce the hd source for them??? I am not sure the usual, most watched mega serails need those hd content any ways. may be the sports channel will be the first to adopt. But then there will also be govt licensing thing.

moserbaer is now offering the film DVD's for Rs 34/ and vcd's for 28/. these are licensed copies not pirated ones. the prices are MRP. it has already released around 230 movies in tamil and malayalam. shortly we get even hindi and other languages.
like rangaraj said the technology is advancing at faster rate than imagined. so it better to wait for one/two years before jumping on to LCd wagon when within a year or two these may not cope up with the latest content. within a year both blue ray/HDDVD will become the mainstream DVD's that is for sure and price is going to be what we are paying for present DVD.
just remember the prices of lcd a year back and compare with the present.
same will happen to blue ray/hddvd . when the media is available none can prevent the availability of content. ( this is what moserbaer is doing with their latest home entertainment DVD'/VCD's offerings)

I think LCDs are more expensive than comparable plasmas. They are less brighter, have lesser contrast ratio and also have a problem of time lag wherein you might have issues watching sports/fast moving action sequences. It makes sense to go in for plasma tvs for 42 inches and higher. In fact a 37 inch lcd is similarly priced to a 42 inch plasma tv.

so it better to wait for one/two years before jumping on to LCd wagon when within a year or two these may not cope up with the latest content. within a year both blue ray/HDDVD will become the mainstream DVD's that is for sure and price is going to be what we are paying for present DVD. just remember the prices of lcd a year back and compare with the present.

Something else will come up in the horizon by then. You end up not buying anything at all. My take is that digital media / HTPC will be main players going forward, and 720p is a great deal by itself. Beyond that to notice the great difference one may have to get their eyes operated or cleaned (like buying B&W speakers for 1.2L and getting ear cleaned for better hearing) LOL

As someone mentioned, if your viewing is NOT in standard test conditions, Plasma is the better buy. For me, I am a sucker for gadgets, I bought an RPTV when I had space at home. That money would have got me a 40" Boardeux/Bravia now. If you think about it, it is a never ending story. Tch, tch.

no akshay,typical lcds have a brightness quotient of 600cd/m^2 while plasma tvs have a quotient of upto 1500 cd/m^2. as for weight, yes i agree lcds are lighter, but how does it matter once u have installed ur tv on the wall/stand. the picture and quality is much better in plasma tvs and thats more important. as for refresh rates, yes lcds are getting better but still nowhere near the plasma tv range.